Princess Anne made a heartfelt admission about the funeral of her father, the late Prince Philip.Three years ago, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip was laid to rest at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021, following his death eight days earlier.
The announcement of his death shared by Buckingham Palace read: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.” As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic at the time, it meant restrictions placed just 30 loved ones at the funeral service, which included the late Queen Elizabeth, their four children, and eight grandchildren.
Social distancing measures also meant the late Queen had to sit by herself as she said her final goodbyes to her husband, and the heartbreaking image of the Queen sat alone was seen all over the world. Speaking out about that moment, Princess Anne said, in a 10-word admission: “In some ways, I’m glad we didn’t see that moment.” The Princess Royal then admitted: “When you see the photograph, it’s much worse somehow. And you saw more of that than we did, since we were accompanying the coffin.”
The heartbreaking image prompted an outpouring of love and support for the grieving royal. The late Queen’s son, Prince Andrew, also described her moment of sorrow as leaving a “huge void” in her life. During the moment of hardship for the family, he added: “The family, the ones that are close, are rallying round to make sure that we’re there to support her.” Describing his late father, he also said: “He was so calm. If you had a problem, he would think about it. He was always somebody you could go to and he would always listen so it’s a great loss.”
When Prince Philip passed away, an estimated 200,000 members of the public lined up to pay their respects over three days at Westminster Hall. The late Duke of Edinburgh began creating his own hearse in collaboration with Land Rover in 2003, when he turned 82. Prince Philip, who served in the Royal Navy in World War Two, requested that the original Belize Green bodywork be switched to Dark Bronze Green, a colour used for many military Land Rovers.
His modifications included the open-top rear section, where his coffin rested. Thierry Bollore, Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO, hailed Philip’s “impressive knowledge and deep interest in vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing.” Prince Philip who died at the old age of 99, worked on creating the bespoke hearse for 16 years.
